Polished & Elegant Private Property Wedding
Shannon and David’s wedding was a literal dream come true for me. They are both originally from Manitoba, but now live and work in Toronto (fun fact, I’m actually neighbours with 2 of Shannon’s sisters!). They have incredibly demanding professions and needed to hire a team for their wedding back home that could take the reigns and be trusted. I was so honoured that they reached out to me first, wanting to hire me for floral and event design, and asking for recommendations on other vendors who could make their wedding happen without a hitch.
Shannon is a self-proclaimed “anti-wedding” kind of woman. Neither of them enjoy a lot of the typical wedding things, and they really just wanted to create an atmosphere of casual elegance that felt like the best dinner party their chosen guests (about 30 of them) had ever been to, with a polished yet still genuine and comfortable experience.
Right off the hop, I knew that they’d be best served by a full service wedding planner (weddings at home or on a private property — especially outdoor ones — are no joke!) and made a few recommendations. I was so pleased when they hired Soiree Event Planning, and while I don’t typically offer my event design services in collaboration with a planner’s, Andrea and I felt that we could work alongside each other to create some magic. It worked so well and we’re both so pleased with how everything came together!
Being the very epitome of anti-bride, Shannon wasn’t even sure that she wanted a bridal bouquet. They actually weren’t even sure if they were going to have an official ceremony! I gently talked her into it, knowing that she’d appreciate having the accessory of a bouquet and if she didn’t want to carry it all day, then you put it down and that’s fine. In the end, she was really happy to have it!
I decided to soften the colour palette of the bouquet a bit (the event’s full palette featured more warm beiges, terracotta, accents of black and mauve, along with a range of pink and peach shades).
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: garden roses, ranunculus, foxglove, anemones, and scabiosa. I kept it simple but just loaded in all the good stuff!
When I saw the front yard and this tree, I knew I had to push for the couple to have a ceremony and to have it RIGHT HERE. I didn’t know how I was going to design the flowers until a few days before the wedding, but I knew that this was going to be an amazing focal point. Dave called it “tranquil,” so I’d say my team and I did alright!
The lounges! Shannon and Dave love to travel, and I had them send me some pictures from some of their favourite resorts and destinations that they’ve been to. I was inspired by the idea of cabanas and wanted to create comfortable, well-styled cabana-like lounges so I suggested using some sort of draping to make that happen. Soiree took it from there and added in the rattan elements and the adorable champagne truck!
We hoped and hoped for an outdoor dinner and no need for a tent (which we had at the ready if needed) and we got our wish! And the weather was absolutely PERFECT for al fresco dining. A cafe light canopy, one long table, and tons of flowers were some of Shannon’s only requests and obviously we were happy to do that.
We started with this taupe linen from Planned Perfectly (honestly, it’s my favourite — you’ll notice it’s a go-to in so many of my weddings and for such a good reason!) and layered in tons of candles (tapers, pillars, and votives) and large floral arrangements to create a sense of lush abundance. The place settings came together so beautifully — Soiree located these gorgeous fringed fabric chargers from Table Tales in Toronto (they ship Canada-wide, but in this case, Shannon and David just travelled with them when they came in for the wedding), and then we added a detailed menu booklet and place card to each setting.
Robin Egg Blue Design took care of all of the stationery. With changes to the wedding date thanks to postponements, and a very intimate guest list, we didn’t end up using actual wedding invitations but we thought it would be really nice to have a statement paper element at each place setting that sort of mimicked an invitation. I’d been pushing to use a leather detail since the very beginning of the design work (I wanted to use a leather envelope for the invites…how amazing would that have been?!) so Michelle from Soiree actually hand-made these beautiful leather place cards with each guest’s name! The front of the place setting featured a custom, hand-drawn floral illustration with the couple’s monogram, and the reverse side had a personalized note from the couple to each individual guest. It was such a beautiful way for them to share just how grateful they were to be celebrating with their most loved group of people.
Robin also created a detailed menu booklet, and because Shannon and Dave are HUGE food lovers and wanted to create a really customized gourmet feast complete with wine pairings for their guests, this was a much-needed (and very elegant!) guide to the many courses. It included a thick card stock, a vellum insert, and the same floral illustration before getting into the menu details.
Despite their love for food, Shannon and David aren’t really dessert people, but still wanted to have something sweet for their guests. They just weren’t sure what to do for a cake itself — that’s when I saw an image of a rustic cake that was decorated simply with figs on the cover of a magazine, and I sent that to them for their thoughts. Kayla from Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe took that inspiration and ran with it, and I love that this cake continued to emphasize the gourmet nature of the dining experience.
And, obviously, the flowers were pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself! My team really killed it, and we had an awesome time designing lush pieces filled with locally grown and specialty imported flowers. The neutral base of the table allowed us to hit the more colourful aspects of the palette in full force with the flowers, and it came together beautifully.
Event Designed in Collaboration with Soiree Event Planning
I loved the string light canopy over their dance floor! What a magical and romantic place to spin around in your first dance as newlyweds!
And of course, major props to Brittany Mahood, who always does an incredible job of capture both the emotion AND the detail of a wedding day ❤️
Brittany Mahood Photography ~ Soiree Event Planning ~ Karina Walker ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Collective Event Rentals ~ Trend Decor Winnipeg ~ Union table ~ Event Light ~ Robin Egg Blue Design ~ Table Tales ~ Loversland ~ Simii Bedi ~ Academy Hospitality ~ Keith MacPherson ~ Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe
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Flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!